Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I love the blue beach reflection. Very interesting lenses indeed. Thanks for showing, Philippe Op 16-jan-07, om 06:43 heeft Peter Klein het volgende geschreven: > Peter and Luis: Both the Nikkor and Canon are Sonnar derivatives. > AFAIK, the f/1.5 versions are closer to the original Sonnar > design. Especially the Canon. Some people think that the 50/1.5 > Canon is a better Sonnar than the Sonnar, due to coatings and > chrome/brass construction. > > The f/1.4 versions show the stamp of some new design considerations > by the Japanese companies. The Canon is optimized for the > traditional middle distance, middle aperture. It's higher contrast > than the Nikkor. What's new is the optimizing for contrast of the > details you can see, perhaps at the expense of the really fine > stuff--what we came to know as the Japanese way, contra Leica. Now > the Nikkor is higher resolution, and optimized for close-in and > wide open. Optimized for photojournalism. The price you pay is > that the corners are always a little unsharp. Again, contra Leica > of that time, but in a different way. > > Those Who Supposedly Know Such Things say that the 50/1.4 Nikkor > was the best 50/1.4 lens available until the second version > Summilux surpassed it in the early 60s. > > See Dante Stellas article on the two companies' Sonnar derivatives > for details. > http://www.dantestella.com/technical/nikoleic.html > > There is also an old "Viewfinder" article on the Nikkor, which you > can read on the LHSA DVD: "Legendary Leica Lenses, the 50mm f/1.4 > Nikkor," by Dick Gelcreast. I have a paper copy, but it doesn't > have any mention of the issue date. > > Several Luggers have used these lenses. I know Kyle Cassidy used > to use a fast Canon 50, I believe the f/1.4, perhaps he can chime > in. Bill Clough has posted many shots with the 50/1.4 Nikkor. > > I happily used a 50/1.4 Nikkor for years. I sold it a few years > ago for about $350. The reason I sold it was that the VC 50/1.5 > Nokton I acquired was much better wide open. > > Here are a few of my shots with the 50/1.4 Nikkor. The first 3 > (B&W) are wide open or nearly so: > http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/claire_surreal.htm > http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/paula_harpo.htm > http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/temp/marianne.jpg > http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/oldpics/bluebeach.htm (probably the > Nikkor, not 100% sure) > > --Peter > > At 07:39 PM 1/15/2007 -0800, Peter, SF, CA wrote: >> Returning to the question, is the Nikon LTM also a >> Sonnar derivative? Any reason to prefer the Canon or >> the Nikon, scarcity factor aside? > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >